Forest fire burning 3085 hectares in Russia

Twenty one forest fires are burning on a total of 3,085 hectares including 2,600 hectares in Buryatia and 485.7 hectares in Khabarovsk territory, officials said.

PTI|

Updated: May 16, 2012, 07.49 PM IST

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Buryatia has reported over 400 forest fires since the beginning of spring. More than 30,000 hectares of the taiga were damaged.

ULAN UDE/KHABAROVSK: Twenty one forest fires are burning on a total of 3,085 hectares including 2,600 hectares in Buryatia and 485.7 hectares in Khabarovsk territory, officials said.

Fifteen fires are burning on 2,600 hectares in Buryatia. Three new fires were traced in the Tunkinsky National Park over the past day, the republican forest agency told Itar-Tass.

"One fire was put out rapidly. Two are still burning. The situation is particularly tense in the Zakamensky district near Mongolia. There are eight fires there on the total area of 770 hectares, and four fires on more than 1,700 hectares are confined," he said.

"One hundred paratroopers from the Krasnoyarsk territory were sent to fight fires in the Zakamensky district," forest agency said.

Buryatia has reported over 400 forest fires since the beginning of spring. More than 30,000 hectares of the taiga were damaged.

Meanwhile six forest fires on 485.7 hectares were put out in the Khabarovsk territory over the past day and five are still burning on 373.5 hectares, the territorial administration told Itar-Tass.

A total of 224 people with 28 machines, including three aircraft, are fighting the fires.

The Khabarovsk territory has had 119 fires on 4,537 hectares since the beginning of this season.